Information Technology: A challenge to the Creation and preservation of trustworthy electronic records in the public service of Namibia

Abstract

As organisations increasingly adopt the use of information and communication technologies, the corresponding increase in the creation of electronic records has brought about a number of records management challenges. These manifest themselves in a number of ways. Problems associated with the management of electronic records are organisational and technical. This article focuses on the technical problems, which are normally looked upon as the “usual” IT problems but have a significant impact on the creation and preservation of trustworthy electronic records. Using examples from the public service of Namibia, the article reiterates the call for collaboration between records managers and information technology (IT) professionals in designing systems that take cognisance of records management requirements, and concludes by calling upon records management professionals to make IT professionals understand what records management principles are and how they may contribute to the creation and preservation of trustworthy electronic records.